Grooming
Overall, Border Terriers are low-shedding dogs, and for most of the year, your Border Terrier will only need their coat brushed once a week. A combo brush—where one side is a pin brush, and the other side is bristles—is your best bet, as you can use the pin brush side to detangle before smoothing those stray long hairs back into place.
It’s a good idea to get into the habit of checking your dog’s nails every time you give them a brush, and you can then clip these as needed, typically about once every two weeks.
During shedding seasons, typically spring and fall, however, plan on spending some extra bonding time with your pup for grooming. Border Terriers should be hand stripped—the process of removing dead hairs from the wiry topcoat—every day during shedding season, which can take about 30 minutes. You can also use a stripping tool or book your dog into the groomer for a pamper session.
The Border Terrier’s wiry coat rarely needs bathing, which can strip the oils that help provide the coat’s distinctive weatherproof quality. If your dog is particularly active and loves getting dirty, you may need to bathe them more often, but rarely more than once a month.
Dental health is essential for your Border Terrier to help prevent gum disease and other health problems. Start brushing your dog’s teeth twice a week when they’re puppies to get them used to the feeling and work up to daily brushings. Bear in mind your pup will still need an annual professional teeth cleaning session from your vet.
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Training
Border Terrier training is usually rewarding and fun—these little dogs are enthusiastic and motivated to learn. Typical Border Terrier qualities include an outgoing and playful attitude that makes them keen and quick to learn new commands. Combined with their independent streak, this can make training both endearing and challenging, but consistent, positive reinforcement (aka rewarding good behavior with treats, praise or playtime) will help build confidence in your Border Terrier and help them be their best selves.
Border Terriers are intelligent and fearless, and socialization as a puppy is an essential part of their training. Border Terriers aren’t as biddable as some other breeds, like Golden Retrievers, so it’s important to know how to balance their independent-yet-sensitive nature to get the best out of your training sessions.
A strong hunting instinct is a fact of life when living with a Border Terrier dog. Some types will have a less pronounced prey drive, but pet parents always need to bear this trait in mind. Few Borders can resist the thrill of the chase when wildlife saunters by, so a securely fenced training area is an absolute must.
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Diet
Border Terriers typically thrive on high-quality commercial dog food. When choosing the best food for a Border Terrier, remember to factor in your dog’s age and choose a formula to suit their specific life stage (puppy, adult, senior).
Some Border Terriers can suffer from allergies or gluten sensitivities, in which case you may choose to feed a limited ingredient diet, but check with your vet first. Table scraps are a bad idea for Border Terriers, as they’re often high in fat, and some human foods are dangerous to dogs.
Due to their small size, you’ll need to keep an eye on their portions so that they don’t gain too much weight. You may want to choose low-calorie treats and account for these in their daily caloric intake when working out how much to feed your dog every day.
Always consult your veterinarian when considering your dog’s diet. They can help you determine the best food combinations to keep your dog as healthy as possible.
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Exercise
Border Terriers never sit still for long and need a decent of exercise and activity to keep them content. This playful and intelligent breed adores the physical and mental challenge of high-energy dog sports like searching games, fetch and earthdog. (Earthdog tests a dog’s ability to chase and catch critters underground. But no worries; the critters are safely contained and unharmed.) An hour of daily exercise that includes brisk walks and plenty of playtime will help your Border Terrier use up all that bounce.
Border Terriers can live in small homes as long as they spend enough time being active. Food puzzles and hide-and-seek toys are a great way to keep your pup’s bright mind occupied at home. When choosing toys, be sure to select tough and durable options that can stand up to the Border Terrier’s enthusiastic attention. They have an instinct to grab and shake whatever they’ve “caught.”
With even the best-trained Border Terrier, it’s advisable to keep this dog breed on a leash when you’re out and about, as they sometimes can’t resist the urge to chase small animals. These little guys are also escape artists, so pet parents need to consider extending fencing underground for at least 18 inches to corral their antics.
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Environment
One of the classic Border Terrier traits is adaptability. That means they can suit a wide range of homes, whether that’s a small city apartment or a rural farm. The key is that wherever they live, they still need physical and mental exercise and a well-fenced outdoor area. Border Terriers can be a good choice for new pet parents as long as you’re willing to put in the hours needed to keep them entertained and exercised.
In terms of other pets, they can live with cats if you introduce them carefully. Even then, you should always supervise Border Terriers when they’re with cats they don’t know. They’re not the best match for homes with small pets like hamsters or gerbils either, as their high prey drive means they will instinctively want to hunt or chase these.
Border Terriers can get along great with kids, but because they’re so enthusiastic and generally bouncy, be sure to supervise them when younger ones are around.
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